It’s a credit to commissioner David Stern that the NBA has, for years now, attempted to take the lead on the issue of homosexuality and big-time sports. It was just a little over two years ago that Stern issued a stunning $100,000 fine to Kobe Bryant when Bryant used an anti-gay slur during a game. It was less than a year ago that Stern fined Amare Stoudemire $50,000 for using a slur in a message on Twitter. And when former NBA executive Rick Welts went public with the revelation that he is gay in 2011, he went first to Stern for advice and his blessing.

It should be no surprise, then, that the most groundbreaking news in the history of sports and sexual orientation has come out today, and it centers on the NBA—veteran center Jason Collins, now with the Wizards, has come out and announced he is gay on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

NBA commissioner David Stern's serious stance against gay bashing helped to create an environment of tolerance within the NBA. (AP Photo)

It is a proud day for Collins, of course, but also for Stern, who has done his best over the previous decade to create an environment in his league that would be welcoming to Collins. In the wake of Bryant’s fine, Stern said that he didn’t think the league’s players were inherently hostile to gay people, but that he had to be vigilant in making it that way.

“I think that, left unresponded to, statements like that could lead to a hostile work environment, and we’re not going to have it,” Stern said. “I don’t want to become a social crusader on this issue but I think sports, male sports, has traditionally not been an inviting environment for gay men to identify themselves. But eventually ... we will get to a place where it is not an issue in sports."

Collins has, for the first time, made it an issue, and Stern immediately reacted to the news of the announcement: “As (deputy commissioner) Adam Silver and I said to Jason, we have known the Collins family since Jason and (twin brother) Jarron joined the NBA in 2001 and they have been exemplary members of the NBA family. Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue.”

In the story, Collins, who played in Boston before being traded to the Wizards this February, said he was inspired to finally come out after the city’s Gay Pride Parade. “I realized I needed to go public when Massachusetts congressman Joe Kennedy, my old roommate at Stanford, told me he had just marched in Boston’s 2012 Gay Pride Parade,” Collins said. “I’m seldom jealous of others, but hearing what Joe had done filled me with envy. I want to do the right thing and not hide anymore. I want to march for tolerance, acceptance and understanding. I want to take a stand and say, ‘Me, too.’”

He also said that he chose to wear the No. 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, the University of Wyoming student who, “was kidnapped, tortured and lashed to a prairie fence. He died five days after he was finally found.” The incident occurred in 1998.

Collins now will certainly become a lightning rod on the subject of gay rights, and in assuming that mantle of leadership, could inspire more gay athletes to follow suit. That’s not to say that Collins won’t face challenges—from opposing fans, from fellow players—going forward, but the NBA has long appeared to be the most likely place for an active athlete to come out. Now that he has become the first, Collins will be far better known than the 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds he has averaged in his career would warrant. Collins began the day with fewer than 4,000 followers on Twitter, but by the early afternoon, he was at 20,000.

In the wake of his announcement, he drew reaction from all quarters.

Former President Bill Clinton said in a statement: “I have known Jason Collins since he was Chelsea's classmate and friend at Stanford. Jason's announcement today is an important moment for professional sports and in the history of the LGBT community. It is also the straightforward statement of a good man who wants no more than what so many of us seek: to be able to be who we are; to do our work; to build families and to contribute to our communities. For so many members of the LGBT community, these simple goals remain elusive. I hope that everyone, particularly Jason's colleagues in the NBA, the media and his many fans extend to him their support and the respect he has earned.”

Tennis great Martina Navratilova also chimed in, saying on Twitter, “Well done Jason Collins—you are a brave man. And a big man at that. :) 1981 was the year for me- 2013 is the year for you.”

Probably the most comforting notion for Collins, though, is that there has been widespread positive reaction from within the NBA itself. In a statement, Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld said, “We are extremely proud of Jason and support his decision to live his life proudly and openly. He has been a leader on and off the court and an outstanding teammate throughout his NBA career. Those qualities will continue to serve him both as a player and as a positive role model for others of all sexual orientation.”

Bryant himself sent a message on Twitter Monday morning, reading, “Proud of @jasoncollins34. Don’t suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others. #courage #support”

From rookie Royce White, who has struggled with mental illness: “As a firm supporter of the LGBTT, of course I support & applaud @jasoncollins34, brave decision. Facing stigma head on, thank you.”

Conversations with general managers on Monday showed, too, that league locker rooms would be accepting of Collins or any other gay player. “You might have individuals who would have a problem here or there,” one general manager told SN. “But for every one who has a problem, you’d have five guys defending him. Every locker room has some tensions. A gay player would probably wind up pretty low on the list.”

Again, Stern deserves some credit for the environment that exists in the NBA, in which a gay player can receive widespread support. This is, after all, something Stern saw coming. It was just a little more than two years ago when, at the league’s Board of Governor’s meeting, Stern said this: “It’s going to be hard, but it’ll happen, I have no doubt about it.”